MMS Blog
By: Barry Rogers 23. October 2018
Buying a Wire EDM: Dielectric Fluid and Machine Maintenance
This blog post is adapted from an article by Barry Rogers that appeared in the May 2018 edition of the Machine/Shop print supplement to Modern Machine Shop.
The dielectric fluid, or coolant, used in the wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) process, is deionized water. It serves several purposes:
When a machine is commissioned, distilled or deionized water with low conductivity is used first. Subsequently, tap water can be used if first passed through a deionizing resin bottle to filter out any contaminants and neutralize particles with an electrical charge. The water then circulates through a 3- or 5-micron paper filter to remove any remaining particles. Most machines are equipped with 5-micron filters.
By: Jedd Cole 22. October 2018
News of Note: October 2018
“With Master WorkHolding joining the Röhm team, we will be able to deliver even more comprehensive workholding and automation solutions,” says Matthew Mayer, CEO of Röhm Products of America.
Röhm Products of America Inc. (Suwanee, Georgia) has acquired Master WorkHolding Inc.(Morganton, North Carolina).
“With Master WorkHolding joining the Röhm team, we will be able to deliver even more comprehensive workholding and automation solutions,” says Matthew Mayer, CEO of Röhm Products of America. “Both companies have prioritized helping manufacturers obtain quality solutions that maximize productivity and throughput, and this acquisition will make it even easier for our customers to obtain the highest levels of efficiency in turning, milling, grinding and robotic applications.”
By: Julia Hider 21. October 2018
Italian Machining Technology at BI-MU 2018
BI-MU 2018, the 31st edition of the trade show for Italian manufacturing technology, opened with a meeting for foreign delegates during which representatives from UCIMU, the Italian Trade Agency and the Ministry of Economic Development introduced the theme of the show, “The digital era of machine tools.”
This large pallet changer from Rotomors is designed to work with vertical lathes to produce parts for the aerospace industry. This saves users time by enabling them to set up a new part outside the machine while another part is being turned.
The Parpas Group emphasized volumetric accuracy at the show. Its Diamond 30 milling machine has a thermostatic system, flexion and tension stabilizer and thermostat-controlled working area to help guarantee volumetric accuracy.
Fimat showcased its WM-Twin machine for cage window milling. The machine has two spindles, two milling heads and a robot arm for part loading and unloading.
OML’s self-centering Twin vises are opened and closed with an air gun. They’re designed to be shorter than other vises and provide accuracy and repeatability.
BI-MU had a special section devoted to start-ups. One company in this area was Azzurro Digitale, which was showcasing its METIS Smart Monitoring solution for molds.
Gerardi’s Mill Tec Zero workholding system combines the company’s zero-point clamping technology with magnetic workholding technology from Tecnomagnete. It has a modular grid with moveable chucks for flexibility.
BI-MU also featured an emphasis on additive manufacturing. The Associazione Italiana Tecnologie Additive (AITA) booth hosted presentations from different companies about additive manufacturing throughout the show.
Ceever demonstrated a deburring application with a waterjet mounted on a robotic arm at its booth.
BI-MU, the biennial Italian machine tool trade show, returned to the Fiera Milano convention center this year with new features and a focus on digitalization. The show’s theme of “the digital era of machine tools” was reflected in a section of booths devoted to start-ups, which included software, sensor and 3D-printing companies.
Additive manufacturing was a popular topic outside of the start-up area as well. During the show, the Associazione Italiana Tecnologie Additive (AITA) booth hosted presentations on a range of additive manufacturing topics given by companies including 3D Systems, HP, Renishaw and Siemens as part of the show’s BI-MUpiù Additive program.
The TNC family of machine controls are designed to serve as a data hub in the emerging digital manufacturing environment. Touchscreen panels speed data entry.
A machine-monitoring application such as Heidenhain’s StateMonitor should combine all machine data and operator input into an understandable, actionable format. Accessing the data remotely on a mobile device is a plus.
Buzzwords like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industry 4.0 and Big Data are floating around the industry, and some of that buzz is probably very useful for the right application and for large production companies. But is this really what a job shop needs? Do shops want to stream all their shop data to the cloud right now, or is it more important to connect their existing equipment to monitor individual machine tools’ uptime and optimize workflow first? To address this situation, let’s break it down in some small pieces that shop owners should consider before they jump into the pool with the “data sharks” who offer sophisticated systems that are seemingly designed to analyze an entire company’s global production with countless bar graphs and pie charts that only a data scientist will understand.
To begin, our first recommendation is to start on the shop floor because that is where the data should be collected and analyzed first. This is the place where the shop makes parts. It’s where the machine operators are working, programming and running the machine tools. It’s where shop personnel see firsthand if they are making good parts and why the machines are running or not.
By: Emily Probst 19. October 2018
Be a Champion for Manufacturing
Terry Iverson met with students during IMTS to discuss manufacturing as a viable career.
In Mr. Iverson’s new book, Titan Gilroy (left) CEO of Titans of CNC, talks about how manufacturing is one of America’s greatest business opportunities.
The 300-page, 14-chapter book that debuted during IMTS 2018 can be ordered online at championnow.org or via Amazon.
“Nobody truly understands the opportunities available in manufacturing. To do that, you need to look at the entire picture,” says Terry Iverson, president of Iverson and Company (a machine tool distributor and rebuilder in Des Plaines, Illinois) and founder of ChampionNow!, an acronym that stands for “Change How American Manufacturing’s Perceived In Our Nation.”
I sat down with Mr. Iverson in the Smartforce Student Summit during the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in September to talk with him about his new book, “Finding America’s Greatest Champion: Building Prosperity through Manufacturing, Mentoring and the Awesome Responsibility of Parenting.” The book includes interviews with more than 40 professionals, including corporate leaders, athletes, politicians, manufacturers, educators, parents and more, to share their thoughts on topics such as mentorship, parenting and the importance of manufacturing in the United States. Largely, the book is designed to paint the picture of what opportunities are available to today’s youth.
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